Which carrier’s network do you prefer for Data and why?

Posted Dec 14, 2012 at 8:25 pm in Threads > Opinions

I’ve used all top 4 carriers in the U.S. and some oversea. And the data policies and prices of some e.g. Verizon, make me wonder why consumers keep using them.

Please let us know what you favorite carrier is when it comes to data, and why.

23 Comments Join the discussion!

98 redraider133 12/14/12 9:19 PM

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I’ve only ever used Verizon. Currently only reason I stock with them is their overall coverage and I have 4 lines on my plan and all having different end dates otherwise I would leave. Going to shop around one my contact is up this summer.

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21 cjleines 12/14/12 9:20 PM

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I know that in my area, up until recently Verizon was the only network that could connect reliably on my college campus. However, with the recent lte upgrade from att, my results have improved a lot.

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76 gh0st665 12/14/12 9:23 PM

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I use Sprint , simply because I get an ex-employee discount and they are truly unlimited on their data.

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63 jaysond 12/14/12 9:58 PM

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only affordable plans are walphones,cricket and the radio shack phones in my area and it sucks I’m not gunna pay 150$ a month for a phone

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63 jaysond 12/14/12 9:59 PM

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the most a unlimited plan phone should cost is 50$ the companies are just greedy imagine how many plp have a phone in there pocket around the world add all that $$$$$ up its absurd

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- 87 TheVoodoo 12/14/12 10:33 PM
  
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  I agree. I recently switched to a prepaid $50 unlimited plan after getting sick of Sprint’s horrendous data speeds, and AT&T’s unacceptably expensive plans.
  
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  - 87 TheVoodoo 12/14/12 10:36 PM
    
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    Needless to say, I switched to prepaid since Google made it possible to get an brand new unlocked SUPERphone, at about half the cost of any other retailer i.e. Nexus 4 at $350.
    
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51 fenlon 12/14/12 10:05 PM

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I am still on a Verizon unlimited plan. For me, this is ideal. I spend a lot of time in a rural area on the east coast, where other carriers don’t get basic coverage and Verizon will at least have a usable 3G signal and 4G at times. I spend the rest of my time in the Washington DC area where 4G is everywhere. For me, paying the premium is well worth not having dropped calls and data when you need it.

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85 lou2cool88 12/14/12 10:27 PM

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I’m on Verizon but I’m looking for alternatives. Their service is great but I am now on a share everything plan. It’s the worst but I needed to upgrade my device and couldn’t afford to pay unsubsidized. The rest of my family is on VZW so I couldn’t just up and leave.

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40 KingCrow02 12/14/12 10:27 PM

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T-Mobile if your location supports them

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96 uknowme 12/14/12 11:08 PM

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Sprint now I have been with them for a couple years and only had problems during the network rebuild this year. Will be going prepaid after my contract is up. I do like the unlimited data though.

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- 87 TheVoodoo 12/14/12 11:55 PM
  
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  Are you thinking of going pre-paid with whatever the Nexus is when your contract is over if Google subsidizes it heavily as the Nexus 4?
  
  Or are you considering a full-price $550-$700+ phone?
  
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  - 96 uknowme 12/15/12 3:07 PM
    
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    I’ll be going Nexus after my contract is up. Vanilla Android has come a long way. I used to love Sense but there isn’t that much other than the Facebook integration now. I was running CM10 on my Evo LTE and loving it. I went back to a Sense based Rom due to the camera features though.
    
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    - 87 TheVoodoo 12/16/12 4:18 PM
      
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      Good for you. You’ll love CM10.1, due to the Android 4.2 features and CyanogenMod’s improvements on those features.
      
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99 jaxidian 12/15/12 1:08 AM

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T-Mobile has excellent coverage where I live (in fact, better than Verizon!). As such, I love T-Mobile here. While travelling, however, Verizon was much more reliable. So I guess it depends. In the end, T-Mobile is the win since they’re less than half the price of Verizon with better phone options. But it’s certainly NOT for everybody – you must be in a good T-Mobile market for it to work out for you.

(I’m in Indianapolis)

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78 decker 12/15/12 1:34 AM

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I had Sprint but coverage sucked, so I switched to Verizon and they had shady billing (Disclosure: I did participate in the Class Action Lawsuit) now I have ATT and can’t wait for my contract to be up so I can hop to a pre-paid plan using the same network without the ridiculous data restrictions. I’m one of those guys the got suckered into 200mb month plans.

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- 87 TheVoodoo 12/15/12 12:43 PM
  
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  Which pre-paid provider offers truly unlimited data on the AT&T network?
  
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78 kelltrash14 12/15/12 8:22 AM

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I use Verizon, and also it’s competitive in price (with a large family plan). Have 2 smartphones on unlimited and 3 dumb phones…I haven’t seen any other postpaid that can beat the price by much if at all. For that price we get the best coverage and data speed, period. I have little reason to complain, aside from Verizon’s nazi device policies.

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- 87 TheVoodoo 12/15/12 12:45 PM
  
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  Have compared to the T-mobile value plans? These plans that work like any other post-paid plan but do not include a device subsidy, which makes them very cheap e.g. $120 to a setup similar to yours, perhaps.
  
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97 Thomas Biard 12/15/12 3:59 PM

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I prefer Verizon’s network for data because its reliable everywhere I’ve been in the country. I don’t prefer their prices.
From my friends and family that use the other big 3, none of them find them reliable in the least around here (Orange County, CA).
To avoid the high Verizon prices, I switched to prepaid on PagePlus

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98 SGB101 12/15/12 3:59 PM

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T-Mobile UK, been with them for years, great coverage and they always have great plans.

Every year, I get a better plan, and save money.

G1 was £46ppm 800mims 1000 text and 1gb data, fast forward 5 years, my Note 2,is £36pm unlimited everything (most I’ve had is 16gb and no slow down) both phones was free at purchase.

The note2 was meant nt to be £160 but t-mobile waved the price, just as they did with my one X (£80)and the wife’s sgs3 (£150)

And they let me pay my bill late every month lol.

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- 87 TheVoodoo 12/16/12 4:25 PM
  
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  Wow, this is the exact opposite of what I’ve experienced in the U.S., which is higher prices every time that new plans are available. Even though, I must say that T-Mobile seems to be the only one of the top four carriers in the U.S. who had actively worked on improving their plans as years progress; and I am not referring to unlimited plans, but creative ways to pass on savings to the consumer such as value plans, and other no-device-subsidy options.
  
  I’d stick with T-Mobile UK, particularly since you can unlock the phones and use them wherever you please.
  
  Who knows, perhaps T-Mobile’s decision to end device subsidies on the U.S. lead to major growth for the carrier, if people can see past the device price and into the long-term savings and freedom.
  
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58 ldouglas64 12/15/12 4:02 PM

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Verizon is the only viable option in my area. I can’t complain about their coverage or support. Prices could be a little cheaper but are comparable to plans by the other carriers that offer (spotty) coverage in my area.

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Which carrier’s network do you prefer for Data and why?